Emerson’s ‘Project Beyond’ platform delivers effortless integration of AI and automation technologies for enterprise optimization.
Emerson is developing a new software-defined enterprise operations platform, known as Project Beyond, aimed atredefining current methods used in industrial automation.
Emerson’s Project Beyond is a software-defined, OT- compatible digital platform designed to support the integration and coordination of industrial operations. It incorporates technologies such as software-defined control, data management, zero-trust cybersecurity and artificial intelligence to improve automation outcomes while aiming to reduce operational complexity.
The ongoing development of industrial artificial intelligence (AI), along with rising computing demands and the growing volume and complexity of siloed data from industrial assets, highlights the need for a cost-effective approach to implementing automation across operations without requiring major changes to existing systems.
Project Beyond aims to link today’s installed automation systems with newer technologies through a platform designed to expand and meet security requirements. The system will support plant‑wide monitoring and optimization, with a roadmap toward autonomous functions. It will also offer a single environment for deploying AI models and managing related data, with the goal of improving flexibility, safety, sustainability and performance in industries such as energy, power, life sciences, chemical and mining.
“Companies are eager to modernize automation and keep pace with the promise of new technologies like AI without ripping and replacing their existing infrastructure or dealing with the pain and costs of integrating new applications and millions of fragmented data points,” said Ram Krishnan, chief operating officer at Emerson. “Project Beyond will use the power of software-defined control to introduce an entirely new, scalable, seamlessly integrated infrastructure with automated data contextualization to turn trapped data into powerful operational efficiencies.”
Evolving from the DeltaV distributed control system, AspenTech’s software portfolio, and the Boundless Automation framework, Emerson’s new connected industrial platform is designed to simplify data integration across various operational technology (OT) systems and applications. The platform aims to help users implement and expand new capabilities more efficiently.
“By combining Emerson’s automation capabilities with AspenTech’s deep software expertise – from modeling and optimization to machine learning and AI – we’re embedding artificial intelligence into our systems, turning information into insights that will help our customers along their journey toward optimized autonomous operations,” Krishnan said.
The building blocks of Project Beyond include:
- Modern computing environments: Project Beyond will combine on-premise edge computing with cloud-based resources to support advanced data analytics.
- Networking and connectivity: The platform includes secure connectors, APIs and software interfaces that enable integration with existing OT systems, devices and legacy I/O, as well as connectivity with IT environments.
- DataOps: A data architecture that connects OT assets, from individual devices to full systems, to transform contextual data and documented knowledge into actionable operational insights.
- App marketplace: A collection of applications tailored to an organization’s requirements, available through a centralized marketplace for simplified access and deployment.
- AI orchestration: A management system designed to support the deployment and ongoing operation of AI tools alongside human workflows.
- Zero-trust security architecture: A security layer that manages access and protects device, application, connection and data within the platform.
The enterprise operations platform supports the deployment of key functions, including the DeltaV IQ Controller, using a data-focused design. The controller runs on standard commercial servers, offering a more adaptable and scalable approach to operations.
Edited by Puja Mitra, WTWH Media, for Control Engineering, from an Emerson news release.
